Tank level monitoring systems typically include a tank level monitor operatively coupled to a tank to measure the level of product stored therein. The tank level readings are typically sent or communicated to a data center which processes the information. The data communications can be wired or wireless depending on the installation location, etc. With the proliferation of cellular communication, some monitors now communicate with the data center using a cellular network. The cellular network enabled monitors operate by sending and receiving data packets comprised of sets and/or strings of digits. Each time that the monitor sends or receives a data packet over the cellular network, however, the cellular customer is charged. The more packets that are sent, the greater the expense to the cellular customer.
Additionally, wireless tank level monitors often rely on batteries for power. Each packet of information that is sent by these monitors requires a small amount of power from the batteries. Therefore, the more packets that these monitors send, the more power that is drained from the battery.
Typically, the tank level monitors send the tank level information packets to the data center in accordance with a predetermined schedule that cannot be modified by a user. As such, even though the monitor may not have any meaningful and/or needed data to send to the data center, the predetermined schedule dictates that a data packet be sent. Such information may include data taken over night, on weekends, etc. when the customer is not concerned or available to read such information. As a result, unwanted or unnecessary data is sent, which ends up costing the cellular customer money and unnecessarily drains the battery in the monitor of power. This drives up the cost of ownership of such a system and shortens the effective life of the monitor batteries.
Therefore, a monitoring system that sends data packets based on a flexible schedule that can be created and easily modified by a user based on the user's actual reporting requirements would be desirable. Preferably, such a monitoring system would send as few transmissions as possible while meeting the user's demands, thereby minimizing the high cost of cellular communication and conserving battery life. The invention provides such a system. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.